Career fair focuses on jobs for veterans

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is sponsoring the Veterans Career Fair on May 5 to help connect military veterans looking for work and employers who are hiring.

The event celebrates Hire a Veteran Month, held each May as part of an ongoing effort to make Minnesota the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.

The Minnesota Veterans Career Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5. It will be held at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, 6155 Earle Brown Drive, Brooklyn Center. The event will help veterans and their spouses find jobs, explore career options or attend workshops by career experts. At the same time, employers and service providers will have the opportunity to connect with job-ready veterans. In 2009, more than 80 exhibitors and 1,000 veterans attended.

"The brave men and women in the military defend our freedom, making sacrifices to protect our way of life," said DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy. "They deserve our admiration and gratitude. It is important to offer them assistance as they transition back into civilian life."The career fair is just one way that DEED links employers with qualified veterans. Through its statewide WorkForce Centers and the state's job bank, MinnesotaWorks.net, DEED connects employers with qualified veterans year-round.

Employers value a veteran's ability to function within a team, leadership, integrity and ability to get the job done, McElroy said."We encourage employers to hire veterans," he said. "They bring to the workplace the skills, education and dedication they have learned in military service."

DEED is the state's principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com